On the new website in Florida, people can virtually ‘get in line’ for COVID-19 vaccines

ORLANDO, Fla. Florida launched a new global website on Friday to streamline the state’s approach to distributing COVID-19 vaccines, following the slow deployment of a state hotline earlier this month.

The website, myvaccine.fl.gov, enables Florida residents to register part-time and part-time for the prestigious vaccine admissions in all 67 counties, and places it in a virtual queue until more doses are available in their area.

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“Pre-register now for the COVID-19 vaccine,” reads the website. “We are appealing to Florida residents who are currently eligible to save their place in the queue by pre-registering today.”

Currently, the state is vaccinating people aged 65 and older, long-term care staff and residents, health care staff with direct patient contact and individuals who are very vulnerable to the virus.

“With this website, individuals eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can be proactively contacted when vaccination is available at state-sponsored vaccination sites,” reads the Florida Department of Health news release.

The vaccine supply remains limited and appointments may not be available for a few weeks in some provinces, the DOH warns.

Users will select their country and click on “get in line” before filling in personal information to register. Once appointments are available, individuals will be contacted by phone, text message or email to schedule an appointment, according to the DOH.

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The DOH said Friday as part of the nationwide registration system, each of the 67 counties in Florida has a designated phone number to dial and pre-register. The full list of numbers is available here.

The counties of Broward, Duval, Hillsborough and Lee have started using a Florida Department of Health hotline to discuss vaccine appointments following a promise earlier this month from Florida’s director of emergency management that a direct appointment system would come.

However, the hotline and the state website may not be the best way to sign up for the local health department.

Volusia County, for example, is still in preliminary talks with the state about the system, but has not started using the platform. Volusia County Emergency Management officials are encouraging people to continue registering through the provincial portal.

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“Currently, individuals registering for an appointment through MyVaccine (myvaccine.fl.gov) are placed in a queue not managed by County Volusia and will not be contacted for an appointment,” the emergency management said. of Volusia County said Friday in an update. “Individuals wishing to receive a vaccine through Volusia County should continue to register through Eventbrite or call the Citizens Information Center as additional vaccine events are announced.”

It is unclear how this new system managed by Sharecare software will be used by provinces that do not use the state registration number. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the county will continue to use CDR Health on January 22 for notifications and that it does not yet plan to use the state system for the Orange County Convention Center vaccination site.

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Florida Emergency Management Press Secretary Samantha Bequer said it was an individual choice whether or not to report to the nationwide pre-registration system.

“If a country has a system in place and decides to use the nationwide system, the state will work with them to merge existing waiting lists,” Bequer said in an email. ‘In provinces where they have opted for the system, suitable individuals will be contacted to schedule an appointment when they are available through the state system in the area.

She said Florida is working with counties to ensure that existing registration systems can coordinate with the MyVaccine website.